How to Fix Nail Pops in the Drywall Costs: $10 to $20

By Glenda Taylor and Bob Vila

A: I just bought a house and am going to paint over the green interior walls with a fresh coat of country white.I am concerned that the small circular bulges I have seen on the walls will not go away after I paint them.I was told by my neighbor that the bulges are popped nails.What can I do to get rid of them?

A: Well done on your new home!You are correct about the bulges being left unrepaired.Although there are a few exceptions, popped nails are usually not serious and are easy to fix.Understand the causes of nail pops, the problems they could represent, and how you can achieve perfectly smooth walls by reading this.

While lumber is stored in open-air warehouses, it can be absorbed into the air by the humidity.As the wood slowly dries, the studs may shift or twist slightly.This can cause individual nails to move, and when a nail holding drywall moves, it loosens the joint compound covering the nail.The result is a small bulge on the wall surface or a visible nail head if the compound falls away.This is the most common cause of nail pops.There are no structural issues that need to be fixed.

The immediate problem will be solved by tapping the nail back down with a hammer.If you want a better solution, you can put two screws in the stud, one above the nail and one below it.The screws will hold the panel in place.

Short screws that barely penetrate the stud beneath the drywall panel may pull loose in the future, leaving you with more pops on the wall surface.The general rule is to use screws that will penetrate the stud by at least 34 of an inch.You need a screw that is at least 114-inch long.

If the panel isn't securely attached to the studs, there will be movement and popped nails.Every eight inches along the edges and every 12 to 16 inches in the center of the panel should be filled with a screw.If you suspect that this happened when your home was built, you may want to put additional screws over the studs to reduce the risk of future pops.

The screws have trumpet-shaped heads that allow them to be inserted just beneath the surface of the drywall, but they will leave a small hole.A quarter-sized compound should fill most nail and screw indentions.Apply with a knife.Allow the compound to dry for at least 24 hours and then apply a thin coat of joint compound.Sand over the compound with a sponge and then roll on a new coat of paint.

If you notice bulges on the ceiling similar to the ones you saw in the walls, you may want to look for a more serious problem.Homebuilders use manufactured trusses instead of building the roof with rafters.Some wood members in a set of trusses are designed to move slightly with attic humidity and temperature fluctuations, and so many modern drywall installers use a special attachment technique when hanging drywall on a ceiling made from trusses.When the trusses lift, nail pops can occur in the ceiling drywall if they attach it directly to the underside.There is a horizontal crack between the ceiling and the wall depending on how much the truss moves.To fix the issue, a contractor should remove the drywall panels and install news ones attached to clips or blocks, but not the trusses themselves.